‘The Walking Dead’ Just Hinted At How Lauren Cohan’s Maggie May Exit the Show

(This post contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead Season 9 Episode 2. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ve been warned and have no excuse to be mad at me when I spoil it for you!)

We know two major staples of AMC‘s The Walking Dead are bound to leave the series this season. Andrew Lincoln‘s Rick Grimes and Lauren Cohan’s Maggie Greene Rhee won’t last the entirety of Season 9, sadly. But while Lincoln’s exit is said to be permanent, Cohan is expected to step away from the show temporarily. How will that work though, on a series where the only way out is usually becoming zombie dinner?

The latest episode of the AMC series luckily gave us hint about how Cohen’s Maggie may leave the show and remain alive. Last night, the second episode of Season 9, “The Bridge,” helped set up Maggie’s departure in a conversation between her and Jesus (Tom Payne). Mid-way through the episode, Jesus mentioned a familiar name, Georgie. That’s the survivor played by House of Cards‘ Jayne Atkinson who mysteriously showed up in Season 8 with advice for how the Hilltop could rebuild civilization, then quickly disappeared.

In “The Bridge,” Jesus asked Maggie if she’d received a letter from Georgie, who has apparently been trying to recruit Maggie. As Vanity Fair notes, Georgie’s old letters led Maggie to say she’s been “thinking about how much she’s done for us. How much is still left to do.” Will she join her?

When The Hollywood Reporter asked showrunner Angela Kang if that brief exchange hints at Maggie leaving Hilltop with Georgie, Kang responded, “That’s a fair suspicion.” But the showrunner added that things likely won’t exactly go that way. Even so, it sounds like Maggie won’t be done for good. “Lauren and I have had conversations,” Kang said, “and she’s excited to come back, even if it’s not for a full season. We can work with that.”

Cohan’s expected exit for the series began with negotiations over a salary increase with AMC, followed by her series regular role on ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier. But given what Kang and Cohan have said, Maggie’s story isn’t over yet, and we may see her back in Season 10.